Love Walks In
by inakindofdaydream
Summary: Jily Challenge May 2018 TV Show AU Prompt: Phoebe/Mike Friends AU - i'm on a romantic break with my friends and new boyfriend after you broke my heart but wait "why are you here? wait why are you getting down on one knee? oh my gOD"


"James."

"Uh, no, actually it's Nigel."

Her pompadoured boyfriend was in front of her - down on one knee no less - but her attention was caught entirely by the familiar face she could see walking towards her over Nigel's blond pouf.

"No - I mean - yes, I know - I mean...James," she sputtered, "is standing right behind you."

"Lily," James said.

"What are you doing here?"

"I need to ask you a question."

"Uh, actually, I was just about to ask her a question myself-" started Nigel, rising from the ground and fumbling back into his chair across from Lily.

The Day Before

 **Marlene McKinnon to Sirius Black**

 **MM** : _We've got a problem_

 _Sirius_

 _Sirius Black_

 **Missed call to Sirius Black from Marlene McKinnon**

 _YO, BITCH, THIS IS SOME SERIOUS BUSINESS_

 **Missed call to Sirius Black from Marlene McKinnon**

 _HEEEEEYYYYYYYYYY_

 **SB** : _mckinnon_

 _doll_

 _sweetface_

 _you do realize we are on a tropical vacation_

 _and my sexywolfishmoonybf is here_

 _who i was TRYING to seduce_

 _btw_

 _in case you were wondering_

 **MM** : _Babbington is going to propose to Lily_

 **SB** : _asdkjhfgkjdfgsadfkjfh_

 **MM** : _She's going to say yes_

 **Sirius Black call to Marlene McKinnon**

"I haven't seen you in months," she said as James approached the table

"Alright, I guess I'll just let you borrow her for a moment," Nigel said sarcastically, "want to borrow my chair too?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," said James, sliding into his chair and knocking Nigel out of it easily and in one motion, but his eyes never left Lily's.

It was completely unfair, she thought. He had shattered her heart and left her alone and yet here he was, out of nowhere, looking like _that_. He was sharp lines and ruffled edges. His warm eyes were boring into her and she wanted to climb into their hazel depths. Underneath them were deep shadows which did nothing to dampen the bright hopefulness that overcame is face. It wasn't fair, that he still have this much power over her.

It probably wasn't fair to Nigel either, but that thought got buried far beneath the others.

"Lily," he said again, "I still love you."

She made a noise, or maybe it was Nigel; all her senses had gone pretty James-centric.

"I love you too," she said, because she did.

A crash sounded from somewhere to her right that probably _was_ Nigel.

" _Don't you dare!"_ and Sirius.

"These past few months have been horrible, miserable without you. And I know it's my fault, but I thought that this was for the best, that I was giving you a chance for a better life."

Lily knew this of course, she'd been there when they'd argued, then cried, then argued again, and then finally said goodbye. She knew that it'd taken Marlene days to get her to leave the apartment, that she'd finally said yes to going out again, that she'd run into an old flame at a bar and they'd been getting along well enough, that a few moments ago he'd been about to ask her an important question, and that he was currently being restrained by a giggling Sirius Black.

But goddammit, James Potter comes walking in and nothing else _matters_.

 **Lily Evans to Marlene McKinnon**

 **LE:** _Thanks for setting Pads on me_

 **MM:** _np_

 **LE:** _I know you guys think you're helping, but this is good, I promise_

 **MM:** _I bet you three pina coladas that that you can't say he isn't a boring blob of a human to my face_

 **LE:** _I can buy you a piña colada without you shitting on my almost-fiance._

 **MM:** _SHIT. THE MAN STUDIES SHIT FOR A LIVING. THAT IS WHO YOU ARE SIGNING UP TO BE BURIED NEXT TO_

 **LE** : _I'm getting engaged, not dying._

 **MM:** _the fact that you don't see this as relevant proves that you are not thinking straight_

 _LILY WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS FOR GODSSAKE_

 **LE:** _I'm glad we're doing this over text, I can save this conversation to show my kids_

 **MM:** _I THINK I JUST VOMITED_

 **LE** : _thanks_

 **MM** : _Lily this whole rebound thing has gone too far, maybe you should talk to him_

 **LE** : _Stop_

 _Don't you dare_

 _He has nothing to do with this okay_

 _You know me, I want to get married and have kids and do the whole domestic thing. So what else would a reasonable person do when a nice, good-looking guy comes along who's willing to do all that?_

 **MM** : _Lils_

 _You deserve SO much better than 'willing'_

 **LE** : _Look Marly, I already found the love of my life. It just wasn't meant to last the whole of my life. And that's fine, right now I want someone who wants what I want._

 **MM** : _But you want more than 2.5 kids and a white picket fence_

 _Besides, Babbington is not the only fool with a pompadour willing to get domestic with you_

 _Honestly, what is it with you and guys who are into their hair_

 _Hell, there are plenty of interesting POMPADOUR-LESS guys out there._

 **LE** : _Ha_

 **MM** : _Lils, I love you. I don't want to see you make a mistake._

 **LE** : _that's the thing though, I do love him._

 _I love James_

 _FUCK_

 _NO_

 _FUCK YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN_

 _BABBINGTON_

 _FUCK_

 _NIGEL_

 **MM** : _I'm taking this as permission btw_

 **LE** : _FUCK FOR WHAT MARLENE_

 _MARLENE MCKINNON WHAT ARE YOU DOING_

 _HEY_

 **Missed call to Marlene Mckinnon from Lily Evans**

"James…" she didn't know what'd she meant to say, if anything.

"But then I realized, _we_ are the best thing. Us, together. You have made me such a better person, and damn it all if it isn't my goal in life to make you happy."

"You make me better too."

He grinned, "I like to think so, but you weren't the one accidentally set that garden shed on fire."

She smiled back, "But you weren't the one who came up with your alibi."

"MAKEOUT ALREADY!" yelled Marlene, reminding them they had an audience at the other table and probably, after Nigel's scuffles and her outburst, the entire restaurant.

"Lily, what I mean to say is, what I came all the way out here to say is, well..." he was starting to ramble, "I think we should go at it together from now on -" Marlene whistled, "Life, I mean, we should go at Life together, and well, everything."

 **Sirius Black to Marlene McKinnon**

 **SB** _: We could kidnap one of them_

 **MM:** _Who?_

 **SB:** _Lily, Babbleton_

 _James_

 _Though I think he'd just come_

 **MM:** _Hmmmm_

 **SB:** _Where are you? I'm waiting at the bar_

 **MM:** _Look left_

 **SB:** _YOU MINX_

 _THIS IS UNJUST_

 _REMUS GOT PISSED AT ME AND WENT TO JOIN THAT PING PONG TOURNAMENT_

 _HOW ARE YOU EVEN HAVING THIS CONVERSATION AND STICKING YOUR TONGUE DOWN HER THROAT AT THE SAME TIME?_

 **MM:** _like this_

 **SB:** _Heartless_

 _Get a room_

 **MM:** _text james_

 **SB:** _thank you my daring partner in crime this plotting session is adjourned you were most helpful im sure victory is within our grasp_

 _or your grasp_

 _GET A ROOM_

His gaze was piercing through the layers of pragmatism and apathy she'd hidden behind for weeks on end. Her face was warming and she might have been melting into the seat, but the rainstorm outside meant it had nothing to do with the tropical climate.

"Lily Evans," he stood up and positioned himself in front of her, kneeling down,"Will you-SHIT!"

"What?" she said, shocked out of her reverie.

"Where is it?" he muttered to himself patting his various pockets frantically, like he was on fire, "I had it in my room out of the safe and then...oh FUCK."

"James?"

"Dammit, Lils, I left the ring on my bed at home."

"You sure you didn't just forget it in your luggage?" she suggested.

"I don't have any luggage, I just grabbed my passport and wallet and got on the plane."

"You just got on the plane?" she asked.

 **Sirius Black to James Potter**

 _ **SB:**_ _prongs this is it_

 **JP:** _What?_

 **SB:** _are you sitting down its important_

 **JP:** _I'm walking out of the subway_

 **SB:** _okay ill wait_

 **JP:** _ah shit_

 _Is someone hurt?_

 _Is Lily okay?_

 _Do you need a medevac or something I can call Mom because she knows people_

 _SRIS BALCK IMRUNNNIN TEHSTREETTT_

 **SB:** _prongsy_

 _chill_

 _just tell me when you're home_

 **JP:** _For FUCKS SAKE PADFOOT_

 _I thought Lily was in trouble or something_

 _I'm home now_

 **SB:** _wow, glad to know how much you care about the rest of us_

 _but actually lily is in trouble_

 **JP:** _SIRIUS ORION BLACK I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU_

 **SB:** _okay shes not in physical danger_

 _although if you ask me any time spent with beeeblllton increases the risk of getting knocked out but that gelled solid hair pouf_

 **JP:** _can you get to the point_

 **SB:** _pompadoofus is going to propose to lily and shes going to say yes unless you get your ass down here and do something about it_

 _prongs_

 _james_

 _are you there_

 _do i need to call mia?_

 **JP:** _I'll see you in a few hours_

"DAMMIT POTTER, YOU HAD ONE JOB!" Marlene exclaimed.

"Do you wanna borrow this one?" asked Sirius, wrenching a velvet box from Nigel's hand.

"Hey!" he cried helplessly.

"I don't think that glorified rhinestone is gonna help his case," said Marlene.

James paid them little mind; he looked pitifully off his rhythm. Lily realized, for all his bravado, he was nervous. "I'm so sorry, Lily," he said, "I tried to be spontaneous and romantic but I just messed up."

"No, you haven't," she said, "Keep going." If he could fly all the way to this island in the middle of a storm to ask her a question, she could meet him part of the way.

He looked up at her from his empty hands and smiled at the hopefulness he saw in her face. Without a ring to hold he took both her hands in his.

"Lily Evans, will you marry me?"

"Yes."

 _ **Wedding Announcement, New York Times**_

 **Lily Evans, James Potter**

Lily Evans, daughter of the late Steve and Peggy Evans, married James Potter, son of the late Fleamont and his surviving wife Euphemia Potter, this past Sunday, June 3rd, in a private ceremony in the Potter's family penthouse overlooking Central Park.

The bride wore a classic white dress designed by a longtime friend of the couple, New York socialite and part-time designer, Sirius Black. Black, who was ordained under the Universal Life Church for the occasion, also officiated the ceremony. Ms. Evans was escorted down the aisle by Mrs. Potter, restaurant mogul and the couple's only surviving parent.

Others in attendance included close friends Marlene McKinnon, who claimed responsibility for the event coming to fruition, and Remus Lupin, currently studying medicine at Cornell, who did not make any similar claims but expressed his best wishes for Ms. Evans and Mr. Potter. Mrs. Petunia Dursley nee Evans, the bride's sister, also attended the ceremony.

The couple had been school sweethearts, only to briefly separate early this year. A romantic reunion earlier last month in the Bahamas preceded this week's happy nuptials.

The new Mr and Mrs Potter, having recently been in the tropics, will honeymoon to the Scottish Highlands in the castle of an old friend.

 _ **Obituary, New York Times**_

 **Nigel Babbington**

 **Sanitation Reseacher**

Nigel Babbington, formerly of New York City, died this past Tuesday, June 4th, in Minsk. He had recently moved from the City, where he worked as a Researcher for the Sanitation Department, to further his studies in Belarus.

Cause of death was as a result of multiple burn wounds and deep lacerations received from a dragon attack. Ignacio, the dragon in question, has diplomatic immunity and refused to comment.

Babbington has no surviving relatives. His estate will be auctioned off in coming weeks and its proceeds donated to the New York Landmarks Conservancy.


End file.
